## December 1917 — 1918

## MEMORANDUM TO F. E. DZERZHINSKY

April 6/IV. 1918

Comrade Dzerzhinsky,

I commission you to arrest immediately (conduct a search and confiscate all documents likewise):

Spiro, delegate from the Black Sea Central Fleet and from the Tauride Central Executive Committee, on the charge of criminal malfeasance in office.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin)

*¹ Lenin's memorandum was written following his review of Protocol No. 34 from the emergency plenary session of the central committee of the Black Sea Fleet from March 23, 1918, at which, with the active participation of the extraordinary commissar on the Rumanian Front, Left Socialist-Revolutionary V. B. Spiro, a resolution was adopted proclaiming the Central Fleet the "supreme organ of management over the entire Black Sea Fleet, independent of the Council of People's Commissars" (CPA NML at the Central Committee of the CPSU). At this same session Spiro made disclosures of secret diplomatic information. This question was examined at a session of the Council of People's Commissars on April 6, 1918.*

## MEMORANDUM TO G. V. CHICHERIN

April 10/IV.

Comrade Chicherin,

The bearer, Comrade Bogrova,¹ was in 1905 a member of the Council of Workers' Deputies and is personally well known to me. She is in urgent need of traveling to Switzerland as soon as possible for surgery (the illness is extremely grave and does not respond to treatment by local surgeons). Would it be possible to include her in the composition of the Swiss embassy? Please consider this and either telephone me or we can discuss it at our next meeting.

Lenin

*¹ See the present collection, pp. 30, 69, 76, 84.*

## MEMORANDUM TO T. I. POPOV

April 10/IV 1918

Comrade T. I. Popov,

The bearer, Comrade Bogrova, was in 1905 a member of the Council of Workers' Deputies and is personally known to me. In view of an extremely grave illness requiring surgery in Switzerland, she is in need of urgent travel there. Her money, however, is in a safe. Would it be possible to examine her petition on this matter as quickly as possible? Is there an established procedure for considering such petitions? Please telephone me your answer.

Lenin

## MEMORANDUM TO G. V. CHICHERIN

April 10/IV - 1918

Comrade Chicherin,

Comrade Rivlina¹ (on behalf of herself and Comrade Pokrovskaya²) would very much like to travel to Switzerland as soon as possible. She is thinking of traveling with the embassy. Please consider how this can be arranged, and is it not possible to obtain from Germany permission to travel—at least for women (to Switzerland) in general?

Lenin

*¹ E. I. Rivlina — secretary of the editorial office of the newspaper "Izvestia of the Moscow Soviet."*

*² Information about Pokrovskaya could not be found.*

## APPEAL TO THE LATVIAN RIFLEMEN

[April 1918, not earlier than 13th]

I request comrades Latvians to take all measures for disciplined guard duty.

Lenin

*¹ The appeal was written on a letter from G. V. Chicherin to V. D. Bonch-Bruyevich from April 13, 1918 with a request to dispatch 9 reliable Latvian riflemen for guarding the premises allocated to the German embassy.*

## MEMORANDUM TO G. V. CHICHERIN

[April 27, 1918]

And what did you reply to Mirbach regarding his written inquiry?

*¹ The memorandum appears to have been written at a session of the Council of People's Commissars on April 27, 1918, at which G. V. Chicherin was present. He wrote to V. I. Lenin about his conversation with the adviser to the German mission, Ritzeler ("the inspiration behind Mirbach"), on matters of requisition and contributions of property of the Ostsee Germans. In response to Lenin's question, Chicherin advanced a number of his proposals for an answer to the German ambassador in Moscow, Mirbach, and consulted with Lenin on them.*

## EXCHANGE OF MEMORANDA WITH I. E. GUKOVSKY

[April 1918]

**To Gukovsky:**

1) Did you have a session of the financial commission of the Central Executive Committee today?

2) What were the voting results?
   (a) overall
   (b) on Roze's theses?
   (c) on Zemit's theses?

3) Zemit is being called to the Commissariat of People's Enlightenment for service. Should he not rather be taken more firmly into the Commissariat of Finances?

In my opinion, he should be. (The Commissariat of Finances is weak in working forces—weak indeed—it must be strengthened; otherwise you will have no right to complain later about lack of forces.)

**Gukovsky's Reply:**

The session did take place and consisted of: Comrade Roze, Comrade Zemit, and Comrade Trutovsky.

My theses were adopted by a majority; they did not vote on Zemit's.

He is working for us. I was just now speaking about this with Comrade Sverdlov and would like to speak with you.